I never imagined that I’d walk away from my childhood dream. From the age of five, soccer was my whole life. By 12, I had joined the youth team of the main club in Zurich, Switzerland. And at 18, I signed my first professional contract for FC Zürich. But my story isn’t just about soccer—it’s about what led me to step away from it to follow Jesus.
It all started when my parents divorced when I was 14. This was a huge shock and turning point in my life. A few years later, my dad remarried a Seventh-day Adventist woman. She would mention the Bible to me and share stories and illustrations about life from people like Abraham. I didn’t understand much, but I always listened. I remember her telling me one day that she loved Jesus. I was confused. “You love Jesus? What do you mean? Like how you love my dad?”
soccer is life
Before meeting her, I believed there was a God, but He didn’t mean much to me. I’d had a few Catholic classes at school, and we celebrated Christmas—but that was about it. Faith wasn’t a part of my everyday life. My life revolved around soccer: training, eating, sleeping then doing it all over again.
During my first three years as a professional soccer player, I was challenged with ups and downs. From being the new star and winning the league title, to making mistakes in front of thousands of fans for everyone on television to see. The pressure of this environment made me afraid of making it any further.
When I was 22, I got injured on the field and wasn’t able to play for a period. I was living alone at the time and the downtime gave me space to focus on myself—on my personality, character and confidence. I worked really hard on my mental state and the motto that kept me going was this: never give up. This mindset drove everything I did on and off the field. During that period, my dad sent me a video of a preacher talking about the importance of structure and taking steps forward in life. He shared stories about Jesus and spoke of the peace that comes from Him. For the first time, it really resonated with me, and I began to question what God wanted for my life.
on top of the world
With my weekends now free due to being injured, I was able to go to church for the first time. I visited the Seventh-day Adventist church my family attended and I found it interesting. I began reading the Bible for myself and was inspired by Jesus’ life, as well as the values and stories inside. It stirred something in me—a desire to change, to think and act like Jesus. Yet at the same time, I was determined to give everything to succeed in my career.
Shortly after training camp, I was back on the field. I got thrown into a match playing on my weaker foot after two players were substituted. The next game, I played again. Then before I knew it, I was competing in the European Conference League in Portugal in front of 30,000 fans against a big club called Vitória Guimarães SC. It was the peak of my career—some of the best games of my life. I felt like I’d finally made it and was on track to reach my goals.
Meanwhile, I continued to read the Bible each morning and prior to each match I’d pray, “God, thank you that I can play. Please give me courage and keep me healthy.” I felt a real peace in my life and was less nervous. It was like God was guiding me.
But five weeks later, after an under-21-years Swiss national team break where we played in the qualification round for the European tournament, my path took a new turn. I moved to a new club in Austria, signed a new contract for FC Blau-Weiss Linz and transitioned from Zürich with my belongings and my car to the city of Linz. I would be playing in the championship of the highest league in Austria.
“I think I need to quit”
One Saturday before a game, I was listening to a sermon after my morning training. The pastor started talking about the Sabbath—how God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, blessing it as a day of worship and rest. As a professional athlete, I always played on Saturdays. I’d never seen soccer as work because it was fun—it was my passion. But the message hit me hard. I remember thinking, Does this mean I have to quit my career? My conscience was hit. I was devastated.
I instantly called a friend of mine who I played soccer with who had also started reading the Bible recently. I told him what I had heard and said, “Hey, I think we need to quit.” He was very supportive, but also curious and wanted to learn more. He told me, “Wait. Let’s see.” I played my game but the whole time, I was thinking about what I’d heard. In my doubts, I later called my stepmother and told her what I’d learnt. “I think I need to quit my career,” I said. She replied, “I won’t tell you what to do. You know the truth. Take your time with God.”
So, I began praying and begging God for an answer. Up until this point, I’d read through Genesis and the four Gospels, but not much more. But how was I supposed to know what God wanted me to do? That night I opened my Bible to a random page and my eyes fell on Exodus 31, titled “The Sabbath Law”. It read, “Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord . . . for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.”
Out of all the passages in the Bible, this is what I opened to. I felt like I was in a movie. But still, I wasn’t sure. So, I went through all the passages that talked about the Sabbath.
The following morning, I continued to pray. I went into the forest to spend time with God and wrestled with whether or not I should quit. “Is this really what You want?” I cried out. I felt like I had one foot on one side, and the other on another. Yet I considered myself a loyal person and wanted to know the truth.
With tears in my eyes, I started feeling and saying for the first time, “Jesus, I love You, I love You.” Still without an answer, I prayed, “God, if this is what You want me to do, I will do it. But if it’s the wrong thing, You need to intervene.” As I was walking back to my car, I felt light, like a burden had been lifted.
Driving home, I heard myself thinking, You could quit. I started to think about all the things I could do on my weekends. Skiing, visiting family and spending time with my friends, not having a strict schedule. But then it hit me. Wait. What’s going on? All my life I had been obsessed with soccer. It was my dream to play at the top level. And just like that, You can quit? How had my desires changed so quickly? How had I gone from playing professional soccer, to thinking about all the things I had to look forward to without it? My whole life’s purpose was to make the next step to a bigger club in a top five league—I had already made it into a top 10 league.
Three days later I went back to my Bible and prayed desperately for a long time. Once again, I held it by the cover and let it fall open naturally. It opened to the index. On the left side were words beginning with R, and on the right page were words starting with S—under which the Sabbath verses were listed. My mind was blown. I was flooded with a sense of joy that I jumped off my seat.
The only problem was that I wasn’t sure how to quit. I had signed a two-year contract only three months earlier, and the club had just transferred me. After talking with my family, I decided to finish up the rest of the year. But a week later, I played what became my last game. On the field I felt weary and guilty, and wanted to obey God right away. I told the sporting director and staff everything. Though they were disappointed, they respected my decision, supported me and thanks to God, allowed me to end my contract.
Soon after, my story went public. Headlines read: “End of a career at 22. I want to follow Jesus Christ.” The news went viral. People from Brazil, Kenya, China and all over Europe wrote to me. The whole sports world was stunned by my decision. During this time, I was filled with peace unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. God protected my thoughts, and constantly comforted me. Those were the most beautiful weeks of my life. But it was just the beginning of a new life—one filled with peace, joy and a relationship with Jesus.
what’s next
Of course I’ve been asking myself, What now? What is my path from here? And honestly, I don’t know what my future holds. I’m learning so much about who God is and He’s changing my life. But even here, in the unknown, I know that quitting soccer was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Jesus says, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” (Matthew 16:24-25).
My question for you is this: what are you seeking? Because from what I’ve found, our deepest desire is for Jesus and only God’s love can truly fulfil us.
Silvan Wallner is a former professional soccer player who left the game to focus on his faith. He recently completed the ARISE Bible training school in Kingscliff, Australia and has since moved to the United States of America. He is originally from Switzerland.
